Lobos Wrap Up Road Play with Narrow Loss at AF
USAFA, Colo. — Up by five with 2:09 left on the clock, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team was overcome by the Air Force Falcons in the final minutes on Wednesday night to fall by two, 60-58, in Colorado. Air Force, which was playing its final home game of the season, closed the game on an 8-0 run for the win.
With the loss, UNM is now 17-13 on the season, 6-11 in MW play, while Air Force improves to 11-18, 5-12 MW. The Lobos have just one regular-season matchup left, a Senior Night contest against (RV) Utah State on Saturday at 8 p.m. inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit.
A Senior Night ceremony honoring JaQuan Lyle and Corey Manigault will take place prior to tipoff.
Trailing by two with the clock about to expire, redshirt-senior Lyle took a corner three for the win but missed. It was sophomore Jordan Arroyo, who logged 23 minutes Wednesday after averaging just 6.8 per game throughout the season, that grabbed the offensive rebound that kept hope alive and gave the Lobos a chance to tie it, but Arroyo’s swift putback just bounced off the tip of the rim as the clock expired and the Falcons claimed the 60-58 victory.
“I thought the first 8-10 minutes [of the game] was awful, and really the last 30 was as good as we’ve played,” head coach Paul Weir said. “The guys that were out there … they were terrific tonight. I’m really happy for Jordan, I thought he was awesome tonight, I thought he made a big impact in both the first and second half.”
UNM was led by Lyle, who collected a game-high 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, followed by redshirt-junior Vance Jackson who racked up 16 points and six boards. The duo marked the only two Lobos to reach double figures on the night that saw seven lead changes and four ties. Arroyo logged a career-high 23 minutes while racking up five rebounds, two points (1-3), one block and one steal.
Air Force had four players score in double figures, all seniors, including a pair that earned double-doubles. Just nine of the Falcons’ points came from other players and were spread among three off the bench. Double-doubles came for seniors Ryan Swan (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Sid Tomes (10 points, 10 rebounds) while the squad was led by senior Lavelle Scottie who collected 16 points.
Aggressive on the ball on the night, the Lobos collected 11 steals to just four for the Falcons while Air Force committed 17 turnovers to UNM’s 13. Air Force outrebounded UNM 42-32 however, and also amassed 20 assists while both teams shot just over 35 percent from the floor.
Air Force got out to an early 13-point lead at the 11:51 mark in the first half, 20-7, before the Lobo offense began to find its rhythm. UNM cut the deficit to eight, 20-12, and continued to battle for an eventual 9-0 run that made it a two-point game with 5:38 left in the first half.
With 2:43 left, Jackson drove down the court, through the lane and put up a spin move for a layup that tied the game 28-28 before a Lyle fast-break dunk gave the Lobos a two-point lead, 30-28, with 1:41 left. Lyle hit a three before the clock expired to take the UNM advantage to five at the halftime break, 33-28.
UNM closed the half on a 23-8 run over the Falcons.
The teams tied the game three times throughout the second half until the Lobos began to pull away, getting ahead by as many as six points with 6:36 left on another Lyle three. The three came as part of a Lobo hot streak that included a pair of shots from deep from both Jackson and Lyle, marking four in a span of 3:42 to get the Lobo bench fired up with 5:04 left.
It was then that Air Force went on an 8-0 run over the final stretch, including a pair of threes from Tomes over the final 1:08 for the 60-58 final.
The Lobos are set to return to action on leap day, Saturday, Feb. 29, for an 8 p.m. Senior Night matchup against (RV) Utah State on CBS Sports Network.